There is an instruction manuals that we don't pay much attention to and yet it is life and death important.
In Matthews book about the life of Christ there's a section, highly regarded, as the sermon on the Mount.
I found that I have to take the initiative and not be a lazy bum in making the beatitudes work.
If I want the creator to bless me, in a sense I release him to do so by blessing him.
We have an overly high expectation of random events and expect every one of them to follow our way and sometimes we get angry and quit trying to put in the work that releases success survival and sufficiency in our relationships.
I was challenged to try a different approach which seems to line up with some of the great teachers of the Bible. I came across a book and I don't remember the name but it challenged me to be thankful in every circumstance including and this is a tough one boys and girls when I had a flat tire or when something really frustrated me such as illness or adversity.
I decided to enter or sign up for the lifetime class of praise and Thanksgiving 101.
I don't have a perfect score in this class but every time I slip up I decide to get back in the class and thank God he doesn't grade on the curve.
One of the things that I put into practice and it earned me the reputation of being fearless in a tough environment was my habit of saying I LOVE MY JOB! I started that way everyday even though sometimes I came into a disaster because that's how factory work is and it became kind of like a mantra like something that you act out to the point where you actually begin to feel it.
I won't bore you with a success and the blessings I received at that job but I credit it to the power of God's word and the holy Spirit and the help of friends.
Now to the sermon on the Mount and the beatitudes and the first is possibly the most difficult, but you cannot live in life without something being taken away that you dearly love. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Applying this principle of releasing God by blessing him that sort of gives him a blank check then to do whatever blessing he chooses.
Before you run off all excited and start blessing everything everyday all the time let me give you a word of warning. Life is dangerous, and people get jealous when you are blessed and when forces beyond your control and yes I believe there's a spiritual adversary who gets disturbed if God is blessing you and the first thing he does is bring trials your way like Job was persecuted just because he was greatly blessed and smart and wise and worked hard and was loyal and generous. May I suggest that sometimes we experience loss through no fault of our own other than God was blessing us.
This is my favorite subject and I could rattle on forever but as my brother would say I think it's time for me to shut up now. Later Gators.
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